Develop Your Character
Lindon's Keyboard - Develop Your Character
It doesn't take much to survive. Humankind seems to ramble on, often aimlessly. So many people filled with disappointment, frustration, anger and resentment, you wonder how we have made it so far. Printed articles, news reports and local conversations all speak of how worried people are about the direction our country is heading and yet we continue. We may be blessed with the ability to seek out love, happiness, fun, and fulfillment but it must not be required for survival. There are just too many people who don’t have it.
Well then, if we don't all have a right to be happy, in other words, we only have opportunities that we must act upon, what is it going to take to be happy? That is a tough question and one to be answered by each individual. I have found that there are some common elements that, when put together, give an individual a greater chance at having the life they ideally want.
First I believe we need balance and from that balance comes harmony. There are many seductions in our society that can monopolize our lives. We must learn not to listen to the sirens and follow a course that nurtures all aspects of our lives. It takes wisdom and insights to know what to do and when to do it. Fortunately wisdom and insights are available to us everywhere. A part of having balance is reciprocity. That means keeping the flow going by giving and receiving. Once it was explained to me that to really love someone you must first love yourself. On another occasion I was told that the secret to loving yourself was to love others. Well, I thought, which is it? Which do I do? In time I found the answer: whichever one I hadn't been doing.
Along with balance we need to have character and integrity. These I believe are two of the most important qualities that a person can develop. It is important that we have the strength, honesty, sincerity and commitment to our values to face all of the challenges in our lifetime. We will be tested and tempted throughout our life and the more we can draw on our strength of character the more we will see our loved ones and ourselves come through shining. Character is what meets temptation and fear in the dark and asserts itself to ensure that we do what is right.
Add compassion to the above two and you are ready to start pursuing a life that goes far beyond survival. Compassion connects us to others (environment included) with feelings of love, empathy, concern and consideration. Without this connection our lives are hollow, without emotion. We become self-centered, blameful, neglectful and more. With compassion we find the fuel we need to drive our actions toward a fulfilling life. Compassion is connection and connection takes us out of survival and into life. Without compassion we are alone and that may be the most horrible form of survival.
I have no doubt that we need to do very little to get by. It doesn't take much to have a life no better than average. People are coming and going all the time. Yet I see only a few people raising above their basic instincts and evolving in such a way that they can have extraordinary lives. We may have the capacity to live a balanced life guided by sound character and compassion but we must develop that capacity for it to be of any use to us. Life is extraordinary if you do, average at best if you don't.
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